It’s that time of year again for pumpkin pie, turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, Mom’s awesome yam casserole and biscuits, and so many more of my favorite foods. Oh, yes, and it’s the time to be thankful.
As I have mentioned before, this place has shown me over and over again how lucky I really am. We have all those things I have taken for granted…those basic things needed for survival that so many here do not have…Water. Food. Shelter. Clothing. Health. And those priceless gifts…Family. Friends. Fellowship. Love.
Words are insufficient, or I’m not eloquent enough, to express how thankful I am for all of these and I hope I always remember how lucky I am. There are a few other things for which I am extremely grateful, especially since being in Africa.
1. Hot showers. I’ve had a handful over the past month, and they were true luxury.
2. Freedom. Oppression still does exist, especially for women and children, in this world of poverty, genocide, female circumcision, child labor, child prostitution. I am so lucky to be a female born into the land of privilege and justice, home of the free and brave.
3. Guardian Angels. It was an eventful night in the big city of Arusha where I had gone last weekend, and met up with two other volunteers. It was dark, so we hopped into a taxi to grab dinner across town. Now, there are cement trenches, about 5 feet deep and same across on each side of the main roads (for water in rainy season?). The taxi driver went off the road and we landed sideways in it, snugly tucked down in, the car smack on its left side. We scrambled out to safety, gratefully unscathed. I may be sending my guardian angels into early retirement, but I’m so thankful they are working hard now!
4. The native staff who are the Mamas/drivers/escaris (guards)/market-goers/solar power fixers/creepy-crawly killers/everything else we need them to be. They look after us like we are family, and I feel completely safe in their watch.
5. Toilets that flush. Toilet PAPER for that matter.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy this wonderful holiday, eat lots for me and others here, and be thankful!
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2 comments:
Hello Amber . . . Michelle here (a friend of Alexa) Thanks for sharing your experiences this way -very interesting and educating to read! We who live in the land of plenty really cannot fathom the extent of what you're experiencing there! What an awesome experience for you. Keep up the good work, Dr. Amber! Happy Thanksgiving! (I've been living in Australia for the past 5 years, so I know that even when you're happy to be where you are, it is still rather difficult to be away from home & family, especially at holiday times!) Take care, Michelle
I had an piece of pumpkin pie for ya Amber! =)
We miss ya.
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